Barker enters second year as DQ juniors coach

In spite of the heat, De Queen’s early football practices have gone well.

According to the calendar, it’s right in the middle of summer. The temperature bears this out.

Emma Ray scores for the Horatio junior girls at Nashville basketball camp. Aug 1.

De Queen students will report Aug. 13 for the first day of the school year. For the first time in two and half decades, Tracy Nealy will not be on the De Queen staff. Nealy resigned from De Queen last spring and is now laying the ground work to start a softball program at the University of A…

First State Bank of De Queen has donated a football 40 second clock for Leopard Stadium. The clock will be used for the first time when the Leopards scrimmage Mansfield Aug. 20. Pictured are, from left: De Queen Athletic Director Bob Sikes, FSB CEO and Vice-Chairman Gary Golden, FSB Presiden…

As the July camping season draws to a close, De Queen held its annual girls basketball camp July 25.

Some unforeseen circumstances reduced a four team football camp at De Queen July 23 to two.

“Coaches’ kids, military kids and preachers’ kids move around a lot,” said De Queen’s newest coach Lanny Allen who will be an assistant for senior girls basketball as well as the head senior girls track coach.

Gabe Stephens bench presses while Matthew Martinez serves as his spotter. Stephens, Martinez and the remainder of the Horatio football team are in weight training for the upcoming season.

The Lions went in-house to find a softball coach. At its July 15 meeting, the Horatio School Board selected Brice Higgins for the position.

The goal for De Queen’s trip to Mena’s team camp July 16 was to get as many players as possible involved.

There will be no vacation this summer for UA-Cossatot basketball coach Brad Phillips. He is too busy preparing for the Colts’ first season as a varsity sport.

Girls basketball resumed after the summer dead period at Horatio with the Lady Lions hosting a team camp July 12.

The incoming Horatio boys basketball coach is a familiar face to area roundball fans. Veteran coach Roy Backus is the new leader of the Lions.

In the years to come, 2019 will be remembered locally as the summer of the coaching changes.

Among the new faces on the De Queen school staff for the upcoming year will be one young one. Darren Horn, a native of Glenwood, is the latest addition to the Leopard coaching staff.

It’s the calm before the storm for Arkansas high school football. The annual two-week dead period of no organized workouts is near the half way point. On July 8 teams are free to resume off season work.

Barcelona’s Elaine attempts to prevent Brandon of Real Madrid from advancing the ball in an 11 and under contest of the De Queen Soccer Association June 21.

For only the second time in the history of the sport at the school, De Queen is changing softball coaches.

UA Cossatot hosted its first annual Youth Basketball Camp at the Historic UA Cossatot Bank of Lockesburg Gymnasium from June 17-19. The camp started at 9 a.m. each day and ended at noon. Twenty-three youth from the first grade to the seventh grade participated in the camp. 

Ishmael Cristobal performs the jump box drill as part of the De Queen football team’s summer strength program. Cristobal is a junior lineman for the Leopards.

Changes are in the works for UA Cossatot soccer. 

De Queen soccer players JooAna Guerrero and Edward Garcia will play in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star games June 21 at Conway. Guerrero, who starred at mid-field for the Lady Leopards, is the daughter of Yariela Mejier and Antonio Guerrero. Garcia, the son of Rito Garc…

Horatio pitcher Dakota Frachiseur will play in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star baseball game at UCA June 21. He is the son of Rick and Karri Frachiseur.

Horatio’s newest coach was on the sidelines for the first time when the Lions hosted Ashdown in a summer baseball game June 6.

The De Queen coaching staff will have a much different look for the 2019-20 school year. There will be three new faces and many familiar faces in new places.

UA-Cossatot will begin varsity athletics with men’s and women’s basketball next November. New coach Brad Phillips’ love of the game has carried him from the hills of Arkansas to the plains of Kansas to the swamps of south Mississippi and back to his native state on the opposite corner.

The new Lady Leopards basketball coach comes to De Queen from the west. Lance Weeks has a long pedigree of coaching in Oklahoma.

Ashley Dykes of De Queen has been named to the 2019 Arkansas Track and Field All Academic Team. Selection to the team requires a minimum score of 25 on the ACT and a minimum 3.5 GPA.

Ashley and Abby Dykes of De Queen have committed to being part of the first basketball team at Texas A&M University at Texarkana. The school, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, is preparing for its initial season on the court. Abby, left, and Ashley are pi…

Three De Queen softball players have been selected to play in summer all-star games.

Sixty area baseball players showed up for the 2019 Leopard Baseball Camps, which were held June 5 and June 7 at Leopard Field. Campers took part in drills covering all aspects of the game and were instructed by current players and coaches of the Leopard baseball program.

“Every time I go anywhere, people say I’ve got big shoes to fill,” said Stephen Sprick.

One Horatio baseball player was named all-state and six all-conference.

Awards for the 2018-19 school year were presented at the annual end of the year De Queen sports banquet.

This year's De Queen/Sevier County Tri-Lakes Big Bass Tournament drew in 326 entries from Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The event promotes tourism in our community and creates revenue for our local retailers, our campgrounds, lodging, and restaurants.

The 1st Annual UA Cossatot Youth Basketball Camp for boys and girl’s grades first through seventh will be held on June 17-19.

Tyson Foods supported the 2018/19 Cossatot River girls softball team. Pictured is former CRHS assistant coach and Tyson Foods, Grannis Plant Supervisor Keven Hill, presenting a $300 check to Coach Tyler Timms of Cossatot River High School. 

Erik Smith has been hired as UA Cossatot’s new soccer coach, as the college gears up for the 2019-2020 soccer season. Home games and practices will take place at the Herman Dierks Park in De Queen and tryouts for both the men and women’s teams will be announced very soon.  

O is for offense and optimism as well. Both apply to Horatio’s recently completed spring football drills.

Athletic conferences for the 2020-2022 cycle will soon be announced by the Arkansas Activities Association. Based on the attendance figures recorded over the last school year, little should change for De Queen and Horatio.

Trevor Blankenship of Horatio High School signs a letter of intent for the cheer squad at Henderson State University. Pictured with the signee are, from left: (front) HSU cheer coach Rick Reboller, Horatio cheer coach Jeana Ford, Blankenship, his mother Melissa Patrick; (back) grandmother Sh…

Malik Beasley signs a letter of intent to participate in track and field at the University of Central Arkansas. Beasley won both the shot put and discus at the 7AAAA conference meet this season. Also pictured are De Queen head track coach Jonathan Lindsey, left, and head football coach Steph…